'I do' with fireworks

Fireworks
helped bring Felicia Ewert and Steven Heinz together, and fireworks
will play a part in their wedding this weekend.

The
two will share their happiness with fellow Town of Niagara residents
on Saturday, Aug. 17, as fireworks burst into the sky above the
town's Veterans Memorial Park on Lockport Road.

The
actual wedding will be Friday at the Lockport Locks Canalside
facility in Lockport. The cake topper will feature stained glass
fireworks and the theme also carried into the wedding invitations.

Instead
of wedding favors, the couple decided to bring family and friends
together for a small party on Saturday and rent a pavilion in the
town park where they will play games, and once it's dark, enjoy a
fireworks show.

Heinz
has made a special addition to the fireworks program for his new
wife. They'll put on their protective gear and set off fireworks
that will display as two gold rings, symbolizing their wedding bands,
and two red hearts.

"Then,
we'll go back and watch the rest of the show," Heinz said.

Simply
sitting back and admiring the show is something they don't have
time to do as members of one of the fireworks crews for Skylighters
of New York.

Since
many of their wedding guests are part of their crew, their boss,
Skylighters owner Matt Shaw, is not only providing most of the
fireworks for the wedding display, but sending another crew to set
them off.

Ewert
is a graduate of Niagara-Wheatfield High School. Heinz graduated from
Lewiston-Porter High School. They both graduated from the University
at Buffalo and have "day jobs" - Ewert as a desktop computer
support specialist at UB and Heinz in the mortgage division of M&T
Bank.

It's
been six years since the couple met.

"Love
came first," said Ewert, who didn't join Heinz' fireworks crew
until two years after they met.

She
noticed him at his cousin's house, next door to her twin sister's
house. "I mentioned to my sister how cute I thought he was."

Ewert
and Heinz met later after a Fourth of July fireworks show at Hyde
Park in Niagara Falls. Heinz was still glowing with excitement from
setting off his very first grand finale for the fireworks company.

"She
questioned if I was single ... the rest was history," he said.

As
the two got to know each other, Ewert caught his passion for
fireworks. "We love it. It's just like shells and to make it look
good."

She
also learned about all the preparation and planning that goes into a
show. Preparations for even a small show can take several hours, the
couple said.

Heinz
has received the state license for lead pyrotechnician, which makes
him completely responsible for the show and the safety of crew and
spectators. Anyone working with fireworks also must have an ATF
license to carry, transport and ignite high explosives.

Fireworks
can be dangerous, but because of all the safety precautions and
training involved, Heinz doesn't worry about Ewert's safety as a
member of his crew.

"I'm
more worried about her riding a motorcycle on today's roads," he
said, noting that motorcycles are another interest they share.

Recent
fireworks shows by Heinz' crew have included the Artpark 40th
anniversary show, the Sanborn-Lewiston Farm Museum show and the War
of 1812 bombardment for the Battle of Queenston re-enactment, as well
as the Fourth of July week shows in Town of Niagara's Veterans
Memorial Park and in the Village of Lewiston.

Although
the couple's party in the park pavilion this Saturday is private,
Heinz noted that the park itself is not.

"Anyone
can come and watch. It will be pretty cool," he said of the
fireworks display.

The
newly wedded couple will honeymoon in Disney World. The attraction
they are most looking forward to viewing? The fireworks, of course.

"It's
just a passion of ours. I always joke about how it's the sparks in
our relationship," Heinz said.